


Shivers

by toushindai (WallofIllusion)



Category: Baccano!
Genre: ASMR, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 22:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7011370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WallofIllusion/pseuds/toushindai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria gets a little more of an experience than she was expecting when she asks Tick to cut her hair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shivers

**Author's Note:**

> Written by anonymous request for someone on Tumblr! They were hoping for something smutty, I think, but I'm not entirely convinced that these two would know sexy if it came up and cut 'em open, so I settled on ASMR.

Edith went downstairs with a bouquet of flowers and hair that reached halfway down her back; twenty minutes later, she came back up empty-handed and with hair that lightly brushed against her shoulders. Up on the stage, Maria stopped mid-step to call out to the waitress.

“Did you just get a haircut, _amigo_?”

Fortunately, it was getting late, so the only customers in the Coraggioso were Gandor men who were used to Maria’s somewhat lax approach to her dancing. A few grumbles rose up from one table, but no one really protested. Seeing that, Edith smiled in answer to Maria’s question.

“Yes, Tick cut my hair for me. He’s remarkably skilled with those scissors, you know.”

A few of the mobsters listening twitched at that; no one needed a reminder of just where Tick’s main “skill” with those scissors lay. Hair wasn’t the only body part he cut, or even the primary one. Oblivious to their discomfort, Maria only grinned.

“He sure is, _amigo_! He can cut anything with them!” Regardless of the jazz that continued to play, she sheathed Murasamia and leapt gracefully down from the stage to approach Edith. “Is that why you brought him flowers?”

“Yes, he refuses to take money for it, you see. He says he’s only allowed to wield his scissors for the Gandors’ profit, not his own.”

“So that’s why! I understand, _amigo_!” Maria sent a childlike smile Edith’s way and took a closer look at her haircut. “He did a really good job. In that case, Murasamia forgives you!”

Edith raised one eyebrow. “Forgives…?”

“ _Sí_! Is he still in there?”

Without waiting for Edith’s response, Maria passed her, walked down the stairs, and knocked on the door to Tick’s office.

“Come iiin,” drifted out from inside.

Maria opened the door to find Tick whistling quietly to himself as he swept up Edith’s hair. The flowers she’d brought for him were displayed in a simple vase, their yellow and white a bright, cheery contrast to the rust-colored stains steeped into the table.

“Oh, it’s Mariiia. How was your dancing tonight? I’m sorry I miiissed it.”

“It was okay. More importantly, _amigo_!” Maria planted herself in front of Tick and grasped the broom in both hands. “I heard you give haircuts?”

“I guess so,” Tick agreed in his distant voice. “I first cut Miss Edith’s hair as a punishment, but she says she really likes it, so she keeps coming baaack.”

Maria’s eyes shone. “If I bring you flowers, will you cut my hair too?”

Tick smiled. “You don’t neeeeed to bring me flowers. I’d be happy to cut your hair anytime, Maria.”

“Really, _amigo_?!” At that news, Maria plopped herself down in the chair in the center of the office. “Like right now?”

“Right nooow?”

“ _Sí_! I’ve been thinking that I need a haircut!”

This was not technically a lie. She had indeed been thinking she needed a haircut. In fact, she’d already forgotten that she’d only started thinking that a few minutes ago, when she’d seen Edith walk out of the office sans flowers. Her moment of jealousy slipped further into the past as Tick draped a white cloth around her shoulders; it settled into place with a soft sound.

Tick arranged the mirror on the table so that she could see her reflection. Bending down so that the mirror caught his face, too, he held her by the shoulders.

“Now, what sort of haircut do you waaant?”

Maria froze.

“Mariiia? What’s wrooong?”

“I… um, nothing, _amigo_! Nothing’s wrong!”

It was just that when he’d spoken, his quiet voice only an inch away from Maria’s ear, she’d felt a full-body shiver pass through her, as though he’d spritzed the back of her neck with cold water on a hot summer day.

“Sorry, what was the question?” she asked, hoping to repeat the experience.

“What kind of haaaircut you want,” Tick repeated, looking puzzled.

No, nothing. Maria shook herself internally and answered, “Just a trim, _amigo_!”

“Got iiit.”

He released her shoulders and turned to pick up a pair of scissors. And just as Maria was thinking _well, that was weird_ —

He snipped the first strand of hair, right below her left ear, and she caught her breath again. And then another _snip_ and another shiver that traveled from her scalp all the way down to her toes. The metallic sounds of the blades near her ears, the gentle _shff_ of her hair falling away—it was _doing something_ to her.

“Mariiia? Are you sure you’re okaaay?”

“ _S-sí_ , _amigo_ , I’m fine!” She swallowed and smiled shakily. “Say, why don’t you tell me about your day while you’re doing that?”

“About my daaay?”

“Yes! Or whatever you want to talk about! I like listening to what you have to s—” Another snip, this time next to her right ear. She stumbled over her words. “What you have to say, _amigo_.”

Tick looked surprised and still a little concerned. “If you saaay so…” he murmured uncertainly.

“Mm, that’s perfect, _amigo_.”

Her memory of the next few minutes was hazy. Tick told her a long, drifting story involving money and fingers and something about the stain on the table, but Maria missed most of the details, especially once his voice faded down to a breathy whisper. Every soft sound, from his voice to the _snip-snip_ of the scissors, was sending electric tingles through her. She curled her toes inside her shoes and pressed her palms against her thighs and gave into the feeling. It was like being soothed to sleep and gently woken up all at once. It was heaven.

Finally, Tick _hmm_ -ed quietly to himself, made one last trim to Maria’s hair, and nodded in satisfaction. He put his scissors away and took Maria by the shoulders again.

“How’s thaaat?” he asked in a whisper, bending down so that his face was next to hers and his voice was right in her ear. She caught her breath in a way that might’ve counted as a whimper.

“Really nice,” she breathed. And then she remembered he was talking about her haircut and she focused on the mirror to discover that she looked better than she could ever remember looking before. Her eyes widened with delight. “It’s really nice, _amigo_! It looks incredible!”

She leapt out of the chair with the intention of embracing him—but she was woozy on her feet, still slightly entranced by the experience of the haircut. She wound up wrapped in his arms instead. It was a nice place to be.

“Thank you, _amigo_ ,” she whispered in his ear, and when she felt him shiver, she smiled.


End file.
